Could Grain-Free Diets Cause Issues for Dogs?

We often see human trends trickle down to pets, so it’s no surprise that grain-free and gluten-free pet foods have become popular. However, this latest food fad of grain-free diets might have created a problem that wasn’t there before.

The number of Golden Retrievers diagnosed with taurine deficiency and dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) seems to be on the rise, and at least one researcher, Josh Stern, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, who receives funding from the Morris Animal Foundation, is investigating a possible link between certain grain-free diets and taurine deficiency and DCM. A genetic component is also suspected.